TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - Multiple poisonings with sodium azide at a local restaurant
JO  - Journal of emergency medicine
A1  - Schwarz, Evan S.
A1  - Wax, Paul M.
A1  - Kleinschmidt, Kurt C.
A1  - Sharma, Kapil
A1  - Chung, Wendy M.
A1  - Cantu, Gabriela
A1  - Spargo, Erin
A1  - Todd, Elizabeth
SP  - 491
EP  - 494
VL  - 46
IS  - 4
N2  - BACKGROUND: Sodium azide is a chemical with a mechanism similar to cyanide. There is concern that it could be used as a chemical warfare agent.     OBJECTIVES: We report a cluster of poisonings that occurred at a public restaurant and the subsequent investigation that identified iced tea contaminated with sodium azide (NaN3) and hydrazoic acid, as the foodborne vehicle and agents, respectively.     CASE REPORT: Five patients became ill within minutes of drinking iced tea at a restaurant. They all presented to the same Emergency Department with similar symptoms, and improved with fluids, antiemetics, and supportive care. A joint investigation by the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services, the Texas State Health Department, the Dallas County Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences, and the medical toxicologists at the University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine identified iced tea, contaminated with sodium azide (NaN3) and hydrazoic acid, as the foodborne vehicle and agents, respectively.     CONCLUSION: The recurrence, and seriousness, of these events suggests a need for continued education of emergency providers. Emergency physicians should consider exposures to toxic chemicals in their differential when a cluster of patients presents with similar symptoms over a short period of time.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0736-4679
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2013.08.082
ID  - ref1
ER  -